Gee Atherton facts for kids
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | George David Atherton | ||
| Nickname | Gee, GeeMan | ||
| Born | 26 February 1985 Salisbury, England, United Kingdom |
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| Height | 190 cm (6 ft 3 in) | ||
| Weight | 85 kg (187 lb) | ||
| Team information | |||
| Current team | Atherton Bikes | ||
| Discipline | DH MTB | ||
| Role | Explorer | ||
| Rider type | DH & 4X | ||
| Major wins | |||
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George David Atherton, known as Gee Atherton, was born on February 26, 1985, near Salisbury, England. He is a British professional racing cyclist. Gee is famous for his skills in downhill and four cross mountain bike racing. He has won many national championships and World Cup events. He also became the Downhill World Champion in 2008 and 2014. Besides cycling, Gee is also a rally driver. He competed in his first international rally event in 2017.
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Gee Atherton's Cycling Journey
Gee Atherton started his professional cycling career at a young age. He first competed in the famous Red Bull Rampage event in 2003. He was only 18 years old at the time. Earlier that year, he had won a silver medal at the Junior World Championships.
From 2007 to 2011, Gee was part of the Animal Commençal racing team. He raced alongside his brother, Dan Atherton, and his sister, Rachel Atherton. The Atherton siblings are all very talented mountain bikers. In 2012, Gee and his siblings joined the GT Factory Racing team.
Gee, Rachel, and Dan also starred in a web series called "The Atherton Project." This series showed their daily lives as professional mountain bikers.
On January 25, 2019, Gee, Rachel, and Dan started their own company, Atherton Bikes. They worked with a well-known suspension designer, Dave Weagle. They use new manufacturing technology to create the bikes they always wanted to ride.
In the 2012 racing season, Gee finished third overall in the World Cup standings. He was behind Greg Minnaar and Aaron Gwin. At the World Championships in Leogang, Austria, Gee came in second place. He was very close to winning, finishing just 0.58 seconds behind Greg Minnaar.
Gee was supposed to compete in the 2012 Red Bull Rampage in Utah. However, he had a big crash during practice. Because of this, he could not compete in the event.
Gee even appeared on the BBC show Top Gear (series 7). He raced a Renault Clio car through the streets of Lisbon and won!
Major Achievements and Wins
Gee Atherton has achieved many impressive wins throughout his career. Here are some of his most notable successes:
Early Career Wins
- 2001: First place in Downhill at the British National Mountain Biking Championships (Youth category).
- 2002: First place in Downhill at the British National Mountain Biking Championships (Junior category).
- 2003: First place in Downhill at the British National Mountain Biking Championships (Junior category).
- 2004: First place in Downhill at a UCI Mountain Bike World Cup event in Austria. He also won the British National Downhill Championship.
European and World Championship Success
- 2007: First place in Downhill at the European Mountain Bike Championships. He also won a 4X UCI Mountain Bike World Cup event in Spain.
- 2008: First place in Downhill at a UCI Mountain Bike World Cup event in Andorra. Most importantly, he won the Downhill World Championship in Italy.
- 2014: He won his second Downhill World Championship in Norway.
UCI World Cup Dominance
- 2010: Gee had an amazing year, winning multiple UCI Mountain Bike World Cup events. He won in Fort William, Scotland; Champery, Switzerland; and Windham, United States. He also won the overall UCI Downhill World Cup title for the year.
- 2013: He won two UCI Mountain Bike World Cup events in Fort William, Scotland, and Val Di Sole, Italy. He finished second overall in the World Cup standings that year.
Gee Atherton continues to be a respected figure in mountain biking. He is known for his daring rides and his dedication to the sport.
See also
In Spanish: George Atherton para niños
